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I have lived in NYC for over 20 years and have been to this restaurant enough times to finally say it - it's overpriced and the food is bad! My cornish hen was dry and overcooked, the bread was stale, the complimentary bruschetta was a complete mess, the calamari tasteless. The service is so-so. The entire place reeks of lilies and bathroom cleaner. The bill certainly does not justify the experience. I hands down do not recommend it. Thank you.

I was meeting my friend for dinner the other night at Il Cantinori. I was the first to arrive, gave the host the reservation name and was seated at a table in the back with no view of the front. He said he would bring my guest back once she arrived. Turns out my friend was waiting 15 minutes at the bar. When she checked in and gave the reservation name the host did not inform her that I was already sitting in the back. Off to a bad start. We ordered, the food was fresh and quite enjoyable but the waiter was absolutely horrendous. He couldn't be bothered. I even heard him drop a few curse words at one point. I'm not sure if he thought no one could hear or he just didn't care? The food was great, but it's great a lot of other Italian restaurants too, ones that probably have much better service...

I booked a table for two at Il Cantinori for my girlfriends birthday as she wanted to try it based on its popularity. We were seated promptly in the dining room at the back. I was slightly annoyed that our table was crammed behind two other tables due to a large party next to us which meant we literally couldn't get up without someone else having to move. They have certainly made the most of the space! The service was fairly good although the waiter wasnt particularly friendly and seemed to want to rush us. I ordered a drink and as soon as he brought it back (not 2mins later) he was asking if we were ready to order. He was competent though and obviously busy. My main gripe with Il Cantinori is the price you pay for what is fairly standard quality Italian. We shared a scallop starter followed by a pasta dish and then each had an entree. To accompany that we had a low price ($45) bottle of Pinot Noir. The check including tip came to nearly $200! My chicken Milanese (i.e. breaded chicken topped with salad leaves) alone was $28! I was disappointed as if the cost was more reasonable then it could be a decent restaurant, but as it stands Il Cantinori simply does not serve good enough food to justify the very high price.

My husband and I frequent Il Cantinori at least once a week, sometimes twice. Never have we experienced warmer more attentive service any where! It is truly home away from home.

I used to eat here when it was Pino. Had dinner here last night after listening to many neighborhood recommendations. Very disappointed. Sat at the bar and was very disappointed.The bartender was very unprofessional.He was always banging bottles in the garbage and dragging garbage pails to give the kitchen guys. When you pay $16.00 for a white asparagus appetizer,that was not special - i think there is a problem.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner there. The calamari was perfectly cooked and the buttera simple, but full of taste. Ambiance is definitely romantic; will go again, although slightly overpriced.

Gave Il Cantinori a second shot last week. My mistake. The food is completely mediocre and remarkably overpriced. On the flip side, the place is nicely lit and fairly intimate.